Dragana Jurišić The Last Balkan Cowboy

The Last Balkan Cowboy is the outcome of Dragana Jurišić’s long-term research project following the footsteps of cult Yugoslavian film director, Hari Džekson. Renowned for his interpretation of Wild West genre archetypes, Džekson lived a cowboy fantasy inspired by the rugged landscapes of Bosnia Herzegovina, and the conflicts across borders and race that led to the fragmentation of a nation. Jurišić mythologises Džekson’s legacy in the aftermath of the Balkan war. She is drawn to the symbolism of a wandering outsider roaming the landscape for opportunity, romance, and adventure, shadowed by the reality of migrant life, placelessness and the search for a sense of home.

Jurišić’s practice is an attempt to understand what happened in her lost country, how to rationalise her identity and how to envisage post-conflict restoration through her work.

This exhibition of new photographs is the result of a specific cross-country field trip that follows the trail of Džekson in former Yugoslavia. Jurišić’s life has been intertwined with Džekson’s since her childhood; he taught her father how to use a camera, who in turn introduced Jurišić to photography. The exhibition presents a cinematic panorama of photographs referencing the Western landscape’s horizon line; a symbol of opportunity and new beginnings.

Dragana Jurišić’s recent exhibitions and commissions include Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (2023); Crawford Art Gallery, Cork (2022); National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin (2021); RHA Gallery, Dublin (2019); 14 Henrietta Street, Dublin (2019); Gallery of Photography, Dublin (2018).